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Joe MooreEven before the death of United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez in 1993, California's farm labor movement had lost its momentum. That's according to Pultizer Prize wining author Miriam Pawel, who will participate in a panel discussion about the past and future of ag labor in Fresno on Wednesday. The event, which is presented by the group Cal Humanities as part of their On The Road Series specifically looks at the history of the movement post-Chavez, and how organizing technique of the past can influence tomorrow's leaders. She joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the present state of the UFW, the ALRB and rights for those who work in the fields. Interview: What’s Next For the Farmworker Movement?http://kvpr.org/post/interview-what-s-next-farmworker-movement
68749 as http://kvpr.orgTue, 27 Sep 2016 20:54:50 +0000Interview: What’s Next For the Farmworker Movement?Joe MooreThe top attorney at California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board has a new job. On Wednesday Governor Jerry Brown appointed Sylvia Torres-Guillen to a new job as special counsel in his office. Torres-Guillen had served as general counsel for the ALRB since 2011. In recent years the board has been at the center of controversy over a case involving Fresno’s Gerawan Farming and the United Farm Workers union, including a disputed 2013 decertification election. The ballots in that vote have yet to be counted and could be destroyed, thanks to claims by the union and the ALRB’s prosecutor that the company violated labor laws ahead of the vote. The company denies those claims. The on-going dispute was recently the subject of an appellate court ruling, which found the state's mandatory mediation law for ag labor disputes unconstitutional. Top Lawyer Out At ALRB, In At Governor's Officehttp://kvpr.org/post/top-lawyer-out-alrb-governors-office
50274 as http://kvpr.orgThu, 25 Jun 2015 01:04:50 +0000Top Lawyer Out At ALRB, In At Governor's OfficeDiana AguileraEvery summer and fall, PRIMA brand peaches and grapes from Fresno-based Gerawan Farming can be found in supermarkets across the country. But the workers who pick that fruit are currently at the center of one of California’s biggest labor conflicts. FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports that the stakes for both the company and the United Farm Workers are high. Most elections usually follow a somewhat predictable pattern: people vote on candidates or an issue, someone collects the ballots, someone else counts the votes, and then you get the results. But when it comes to California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board, it’s a bit more complicated. A year and a half after workers at Fresno-based Gerawan Farming held an election to determine the future of their relationship with the United Farm Workers union, the votes remain uncounted, locked away at a nondescript office in Visalia. “Where are the ballots? They’re in a safe here in this office,” says Silas Shawver. “We’re just keeping them hereFarmworkers In Limbo As California Ag Labor Battle Heats Uphttp://kvpr.org/post/farmworkers-limbo-california-ag-labor-battle-heats
47479 as http://kvpr.orgTue, 21 Apr 2015 20:14:30 +0000Farmworkers In Limbo As California Ag Labor Battle Heats UpDiana AguileraCentral Valley farm workers rallied today in Sacramento against what they say is a violation of their rights. About 20 anti-union farm workers showed up at the state capitol protesting against the Agricultural Labor Relations Board and the United Farm Workers. The group says the union and the ALRB are denying employees of Fresno-based Gerawan Farming their rights by forcing them into a union contract. In 2013, company employees held a union decertification election, but the votes have yet to be counted after allegations the company interfered with the process. Farmworker Silvia Lopez is a leader of the anti-Union group. She claims the majority of Gerawan employees don’t want the union to represent them or take their share of wages. During the protest, Lopez came face to face with Marc Grossman, a spokesman with the United Farm Workers. Lopez: “Why you don’t count the votes so you can count who wants the union and who doesn’t want the union?" Grossman: "There’s a judge that’s beenCentral Valley Anti-Union Farm Workers Protest In Sacramentohttp://kvpr.org/post/central-valley-anti-union-farm-workers-protest-sacramento
43637 as http://kvpr.orgFri, 23 Jan 2015 02:10:42 +0000Central Valley Anti-Union Farm Workers Protest In SacramentoRebecca PlevinRepresentatives of the United Farm Workers are praising a decision by a state official to deny a petition from employees of Fresno-based Gerawan Farming to de-certify the union. But the decision by the regional director of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board is a blow to a faction of anti-union Gerawan employees. They had circulated a petition to call for a de-certification election, but the director dismissed the effort after determining that a number of the signatures were forged. The director also found that several of Gerawans crew bosses violated labor laws in helping to circulate the decertification petition among farmworkers. You could write a soap opera about it, UFW vice president Armando Elenes said at a press conference in Fresno today. You have fraud, you have forgery, you have employee assistance. In 1990, Gerawan employees voted to organize under the banner of the UFW, but a contract was never established. Then this January, the union began negotiations with theALRB Dismisses Gerawan Employee Petition To Decertify UFWhttp://kvpr.org/post/alrb-dismisses-gerawan-employee-petition-decertify-ufw
22182 as http://kvpr.orgFri, 27 Sep 2013 00:57:56 +0000ALRB Dismisses Gerawan Employee Petition To Decertify UFWJoe MooreThe California Assembly has approved a bill that would make it easier for farm workers to obtain union contracts with their employers. As Ben Adler reports from Sacramento, the measure passed Monday with the bare minimum votes needed – despite strong opposition from growers. The measure would require binding mediation if unions and farmers can’t reach a collective bargaining agreement – and give the Agriculture Labor Relations Board the power to enforce a mediator’s decision. Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray says the proposal wouldn’t tilt the playing field unfairly in either direction. “This bill is about finding agreement should negotiations break down through a fair process and upholding the integrity of collective bargaining,” says Gray. But growers fear the measure would stack the deck against them – and mounted a heavy lobbying effort against it. Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway says she’s worried about the measure’s unintended consequences. “Why would you ever negotiateControversial Farmworker Bill Passes Assemblyhttp://kvpr.org/post/controversial-farmworker-bill-passes-assembly
20309 as http://kvpr.orgTue, 20 Aug 2013 18:53:42 +0000Controversial Farmworker Bill Passes Assembly